U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,611 discloses an apparatus for burn-in testing of multiple ICs mounted on carrier tape by the TAB process without having to remove the chips from the tape. A plurality of ICs on a strip of tape is wrapped over a pair of back to back printed-circuit boards (PCB) with the leads from the tape engaging respective contact arrays on the PCBs. The tape and ICs are held in position by hinged covers which include dielectric pressure pads or ribs to press the tape leads against the contact arrays. The apparatus further includes an electrical connection assembly providing an electrical link between the contact arrays on the PCBs and test equipment outside the oven.
While several ICs on tape can be tested simultaneously in one of the test apparatus described above, it is clear that the loading and unloading must be done manually which takes time and requires semi-skilled workers. It is therefore desirable to provide a burn-in socket which although limited to receiving a single IC on tape, can be loaded, tested and unloaded robotically. It is also desirable to provide a socket for TAB ICs for general use; e.g., in computers and like electronic equipment.